Cons

Bottom Line

Backblaze is a true set-it-and-forget-it online backup service that is good for novices but will frustrate experienced users.

23 Feb 2019

Backblaze proves that online backup services do not need to be expensive or complicated, delivering a competitively priced service that is easy to set up and manage. Backblaze's back-up-everything approach will appeal to newcomers, as will performance improvements and more secure sign-in options. Still, more advanced users may miss the robust options offered by competitors, such as more intuitive controls over the backup selection, support for multiple devices per license, and private file sharing.

Backblaze's Costs

For those with just one computer to worry about, Backblaze is cost effective compared to other online backup services. Currently, Backblaze costs $50 per year, but the price is set to increase soon to $60 per year soon. This plan offers unlimited cloud backup storage for one computer. You can also pay $100 (soon to be $110) every two years for the service. Backblaze doesn't offer a permanent free account level like IDrive's or Big Mind's 5GB accounts. Backblaze does offer a 15-day trial, though.

Backblaze's unlimited storage is generous, especially compared with SpiderOak ONE, which charges $69 annually for just 150GB of space. However, with Backblaze, you'll have to get licenses for each computer you want to protect. So, if you need to back up five different computers, the cost increases to $300 per year with the new pricing. Other services, including SpiderOak and SOS Online Backup, let you add multiple computers and mobile devices to one account.

It is possible to change which device is associated with Backblaze by either transferring the license or inheriting the backup state on the new device. When you transfer the license, Backblaze deletes your backed-up files and you start anew. If you choose to inherit the backup state, Backblaze will remember the files you backed up on the prior system, to avoid duplication. Other services with single device licenses work similarly. With Carbonite, for example, you need to uninstall the software from the original PC before you install it on a new one.

To cancel an account, users need to delete all active backups for the account on the Preferences page on the web, remove unused licenses on the Overview page, and then delete their account on the My Settings page. Although this is a bit involved, customers can do this entirely on their own and whenever they want, which is better than some services, which make you submit a ticket or call during specific hours.

Backblaze offers a support ticket system with responses within 24 hours, and a live chat system that is available most working hours (Pacific Time) during weekdays.

Getting Started

Signing up for Backblaze only requires an email address and password. Backblaze then generates a custom installer bound to your account, which downloads and installs quickly. Backblaze works with macOS (OS X 10.8 and later) and Windows (Windows 7 and later) computers, and it offers apps for both Android and iOS devices.

After the Backblaze installation completes, it scans your hard drive for certain file types (such as documents, media files, and downloads) and calculates the total size of the backup. Hitting the Continue button launches the backup process. For users who don't want to worry about what they need to back up, this is ideal. If, however, you want a bit more control over what gets uploaded to the cloud, this initial backup behavior can be annoying.

You can, of course, pause the scan immediately after it starts the backup process, but you'll still need to deal with the hassle of Backblaze's exclusion-based system, if you want to make changes. We discuss the shortcomings of this system a bit later.

Note that while Backblaze backs up all user files on your computer, it can't be used for disk imaging. For creating and backing up a fully bootable backup, try Acronis True Image or IDrive. Backblaze does let you back up attached USB hard drives though, something you need to pay extra for in Carbonite.

Desktop Interface

On Windows PCs, Backblaze displays an icon in the notification tray. This gives you quick access to the Backblaze Control Panel, a shortcut to the View/Restore Files section of the website, and the option to inherit a backup state for new setups. Backblaze does not feature file-system integration such as right-click options for excluding files or folders from your backup.

The Backblaze interface is compact and well-organized, even if it doesn't look as sleek as that of SpiderOak One or Acronis True Image. We had no problem finding and changing individual settings. Note that Backblaze's restore capabilities are only accessible from the website. To configure your backup settings, you need to dive into the Settings panel. Basic settings include changing the name of the backup device and choosing which hard drives to back up.

In the Performance tab, you can manually set threading and throttling preferences, but most users should just leave this on the Automatic setting. Backblaze calculates how long it will take to back up the computer based on the last file transfer speed. In the Schedule tab, backups are set by default to occur continuously; in other words, Backblaze watches for file changes and updates the stored version in real-time. We prefer this method as it mitigates the risk of losing changes if a hard drive crashes before a scheduled backup. Alternatively, you can pick a time for a daily backup or set it to run only when you hit the Backup button. The latter two options are useful for people who are limited by system resources or bandwidth.

As mentioned, instead of letting you select which folders you want to back up, Backblaze backs up everything by default, except for some system folders. It is your responsibility to exclude the files you do not want to include in your backup. No other service we tested works this way and we prefer the flexibility of inclusion-based selection systems, in which users select exactly what they want to upload. Backblaze does allow you to exclude folders of your choice or files of specified types or sizes, but it can still be tedious to make sure you account for every single file you don't want backed up.

Backblaze's back-up-everything approach doesn't conflict with any storage limits (it's unlimited after all), but one potential reason for slimming down your selection is to preserve system resources and bandwidth, especially if you choose the continuous backup option. Also, if you had, for whatever reason, private documents or illegally obtained files (which are in breach of Backblaze's terms of service) that you absolutely did not want uploaded to the web, Backblaze's method requires you to manually exclude each of those items.

Another related issue is that Backblaze's backups mirror the structure of your hard drive, so seldom-used folders, such as ProgramData and Recovery, are backed up by default. We would prefer that Backblaze gave users the option to narrow down the initial backup selection, to say, specific user folders.

Security and Privacy

Backblaze says it uses "2048 bit public/private keys to secure a symmetric AES 128 bit key that changes for every backup "session" on your computer." After they are encrypted, backups are then sent to Backblaze's data centers over an SSL connection, where they remain in an encrypted state. If you're concerned about Backblaze staff, a hacker, or a law enforcement agency snooping your backup, you can manage your own encryption keys. However, should you ever lose or forget the password, Backblaze won't be able to help you reset the key and you won't be able to access any encrypted backup data.

On the web, you can enable two-factor authentication for your account via SMS or an authentication app, such as Authy or Duo Mobile. In the latest update, Backblaze allows users to integrate logins with the G-Suite single sign-on (SSO) service. These are all good security options, and we wish they were standard features for all online backup services.

Backblaze lays out the usage expectations in its terms of service. Basically, you need to legally own everything you upload and not violate anyone else's privacy. The service retains the right to restrict access to its servers, should you violate its policies.

Backblaze collects three categories of data: information you provide, such as email address and phone number; automatically collected device data, such as your IP address and the number and sizes of uploaded files; and third-party service data. This information is used primarily to set up and maintain accounts, but your data may also be shared with third-party service providers that "require access to your personal information to assist in providing and improving our products." Backblaze may also disclose your information if required by law. For reference, Backblaze's headquarters are in the US.

Web and Sharing

Backblaze's web interface is effective, and it matches the straightforward design of the desktop application. Navigation works via a left-hand menu with separate sections for Backblaze and B2 Cloud Storage (which we discuss in a bit). You spend most of your time on the Backup/Restore screen. In the account and billing sections, you can configure account security settings, as well as change plan and billing preferences.

To share files backed up with Backblaze, you need to enable the B2 Cloud option in your account settings. The two services are separate; Backblaze encompasses the encryption and online backup portion, while B2 is a cloud repository that is not affected by any local changes you make. Backblaze users get 10GB of total storage and 1GB of downloads (per day) free on B2. Additional B2 storage costs $0.005 per GB, while increased download capacity will cost you an additional $0.01 per GB per month.

From the View/Restore section of the web portal, simply click on a file, and then the Share with Link button. This will generate a sharing link you can send to other people for access. On the back end, Backblaze adds this file to what it calls a Bucket. You can access any of these Buckets from the B2 Cloud Storage section of the main navigation menu. When you share a file, it is public, and anyone with the sharing link can access it. SpiderOak One offers a more nuanced approach, allowing you to protect shared links with passwords and set expirations.

From the Locate My Computer panel, Backblaze can track the location of your backed-up device, as well as the last upload set and the computer's IP address. In testing, Backblaze successfully located our test computer within the PCMag office. In the event your PC is stolen, Backblaze recommends preparing a restore, contacting the police, and monitoring any subsequent account activity.

Restoring Data

To restore your data, navigate to the View/Restore files section of the website, as the desktop app does not offer this functionality. Here, you have four options: Download files, Save Files to B2, USB Flash Drive, and USB Hard Drive. The first option is free, of course, while the B2 option uses your aforementioned B2 storage allotment. If you choose to restore to B2, the file set will be formatted as a Snapshot, essentially a zipped collection of files as they existed at a certain point of time. IDrive offers a similar feature for point-in-time recovery.

The last two options, in which the company mails you physical storage devices, are part of Backblaze's excellent Cloud Restore service, both helpful in the case something disastrous happens to your current computer or if you want a faster way to move files (local transfers will always be quicker than transfers to and from the cloud). The USB option costs $99 and can handle up to 256GB of data, while the portable hard drive option costs $189 and can store up to 8TB. Note that Backblaze will refund you for the cost of the drive if you return it its original condition.

Regardless of the restore option you choose, you select files using the file tree browser. You can specify the backup device used and the backup time period, if you are looking for a specific version of a file. Backblaze says that it keeps 30 days' worth of versions for each file and every file version that has been backed up is retained. IDrive retains the previous 30 file versions forever and SOS keeps unlimited versions of your files.

As you make your selections, Backblaze calculates the total file size of the restore. Restore jobs are accessible via the My Restores menu and are available for seven days after your initial request. You receive an email alert when your restore is ready, too. If you have a large amount of data to restore, you can also download the Backblaze Downloader, which the company says should allow for faster and more reliable downloads than the browser. We are happy to report that files restored from the web maintain their original folder structure as well.

Performance

For our backup tests, we increased the size of each of our mixed file sets from 100MB to 1GB. We performed backups using a Lenovo Ideapad 320 while connected to PCMag's wired network (600Mbps upload) in an effort to minimize the effects of upload speed bottlenecks. Of course, a 1GB file set is not indicative of a complete system backup, but our methodology is sufficient to expose performance differences among online backup providers. Note that your results will likely vary, as differences in available computer resources and network speed will likely affect performance.

Since Backblaze doesn't let you specify individual files and folders to back up, it presents a challenge for testing. As a workaround, we let the service back up everything on the system to start. Next, we paused the backup, transferred the file sets to the desktop, and then added all three to the exclusion list. We then reran the backup, removing the file sets from the exclusion list one at a time. We repeated this process with the second and third set, and took the mean-based average of the three times as the point of comparison.

Backblaze performed moderately well in our tests, uploading a 1GB file set in an average time of 7:47 (mm:ss). This result was slower than IDrive (1:25) and OpenDrive (2:35). Backblaze's result was right in line with that of SOS Online Backup (6:42). Backup time will matter most when you are running the process for the first time on a computer, but faster backups make the process that much more convenient.

Backblaze's Mobile App

We tested Backblaze's mobile app on a Google Pixel running Android 9 and had no issue signing in to a test account. Backblaze also offers an app for iOS devices. The app itself is pretty barebones. The main screen shows all the backup devices linked to your account. From the hidden left-hand menu, you can access any files you download from your backup or visit the app settings. The Settings section is similarly sparse. The only available options are to remember your login info, enable biometric login, and to allow downloads over cellular connections.

Browsing for backed-up files is a slow and annoying process, since you can only navigate your file tree one level at a time. Furthermore, you can't move back up the file tree, even if you mistakenly press the wrong folder; instead, you have to go back to the main screen and start from the top again. Backblaze's app does include search functionality that works fine, but a way to filter files by type or size in search results and the main file browser would improve the experience.

As Backblaze's license is for a single device, you won't find options for automatically backing up photos and contacts. Many of Backblaze's competitors, including iDrive and SOS, have this capability, so experienced users will notice its absence. There's also no functionality related to the B2 service built into the app.

No-Frills Backup

Backblaze is ideal for novice computer users or those who don't want to fuss around with settings. It's easy to set up and works in the background to keep your files protected. We particularly like its solid encryption features as well. That said, we still wish it offered an alternative to its exclusion-based backup selection and the mobile app does not impress. Look to Editors' Choice winners IDrive for better value and performance; SOS Online Backup for enhanced security and flexibility; and Acronis True Image for a richer feature set.

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About the Author

Michael Muchmore is PC Magazine’s lead analyst for software and Web applications. A native New Yorker, he has at various times headed up PC Magazine’s coverage of Web development, enterprise software, and display technologies. Michael cowrote one of the first overviews of Web Services (pretty much the progenitor of Web 2.0) for a general audience. Before that he worked on PC Magazine’s Solutions section, which in those days covered programming techniques as well as tips on using popular office software. Most recently he covered Web 2.0 and other software for ExtremeTech.com.

Michael got his start in computing as a lad, when he wrote a BASIC program for a Radio Shack ... See Full Bio